


Asaga

by Kawaiikune234



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Comedy, Crossdressing, Drama, Gangs, M/M, Maids, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Transgender, transphobic language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-23 22:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9683495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaiikune234/pseuds/Kawaiikune234
Summary: A new maid cafe has opened up, and Yamada's fallen for one of the maids! The only problem is, this maid is not who she seems to be...





	1. Asaga Kikiyo

For Mondo Oowada, it all started when he made the mistake of speaking to Hifumi Yamada.

“Oi, why the heck are you actin’ so cheerful?” he asked. A simple question, really.

“Ufufu, Oowada Mondo-dono, you don’t know?” Hifumi Yamada responded, a gleam in his eye. Already Oowada regretted his decision to ask. 

It was just after school ended. Oowada, along with Hagakure and Kuwata, were busy loitering outside the school gates. The three of them were leaning against the brick barrier that surrounded the school. Both Oowada and Hagakure needed a smoke, and had to make sure to do it away from the prying eye of a certain moral compass. Although, due to said moral compass, Oowada had been trying to cut back on the cigarettes, but going completely clean takes time, and going cold turkey was beyond Oowada’s ability.

The two had been smoking, with tagalong Kuwata, when they saw Yamada leaving the school grounds with a spring in his step. Seeing the rather large male moving like was walking on air was quite a sight to behold, prompting Oowada’s question. 

Hands on his hips, Yamada declared, “I, Oowada Mondo-dono, am about to go pay a visit to a special lady!”

Yamada’s statement caused all three of the boys’ jaws to drop. Hagakure struggled to keep his fallen cigarette from hitting the ground. 

“A ‘special lady’? Like a girlfriend? Really? This I gotta see,” said Kuwata, picking his back off from the wall. 

“Ah, er, that is not entirely tr-.”

“Whoa, Yamada-chi’s got a girlfriend?” questioned Hagakure, picking his cigarette of the ground.

“Well, ah…she is quite special to me indeed, but-” Yamada began. 

Right then, a small figure peeked their head from around gate. A smile shown on their face the moment they spotted the group of boys, “Ah, Oowada-kun. I’ve been looking for you,” a tiny voice called.

Oowada smiled and greeted Ultimate Programmer Chihiro Fujisaki, followed by the others, as she rounded the corner. Fujisaki moved to stand next the towering Oowada, who ruffled her hair playfully, “Have you seen Ishimaru-kun? I thought he’d be with you,” said Fujisaki. She then referred to her book bag, “The teacher gave me some papers to give to him.” 

“Nah, haven’t seen him,” responded Oowada. This may have seemed strange, but after school Ishimaru had many duties to attend to, so the two didn’t usually met up after the bell rang. However, Ishimaru had seemed even busier lately, and the two now meet up even less. Sad really, but that didn’t truly affect their friendship negatively. Ishimaru was still always overjoyed to see the biker when he did, and Oowada was always happy to see him too.

“Come on guys, we gotta go see Yamada’s new girl!” called Kuwata. As he said this, Kuwata approached Yamada and swung his arm over his shoulder. This action confused the doujin author, who was suddenly unsure of what to do with himself. 

“Eh, sure. Let’s go,” said Oowada, picking his back off from the wall, “Hey, Chihiro, wanna go?”

“Er, I p-probably shouldn’t. I need to find Ish-“

The small girl was cut off when a large hand slapped down on her shoulder. It was Hagakure, “Come on Fujisaki-chi. It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, forget the class rep.!” called Kuwata, who was already walking and taking the rotund Yamada with him, “School stuff can wait ‘til later!”

The others decided to follow Kuwata and Yamada, their curiosity getting the better of them.

oOo

The group soon found themselves in Akihabara. Everyone other than Yamada was extremely confused as to why they would be brought to such a place to meet a girl, but, seeing Yamada’s obsession with anime and the like, it wasn’t too strange. Only after the group was presented with a building adorning a large sign with the words ‘Honey Bunny Maid Café!’ written on it did they start to become suspicious of the relationship between the two. 

“Your girlfriend works…,” started Kuwata, “…at a maid café?”

Yamada did say that the woman in question was currently at work, and that they would visit her there, but no one expected it to be a place like this.

“Yo, what the hell, Yamada?” asked Oowada, side eyeing the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, “Is this chick really your girlfriend?”

“W-well…”

Everyone turned to look at the now profusely sweating boy, and a long silence followed, until Hagakure asked, “…Is she really your girlfriend, Yamada-chi?”

“Er, we are not truly ‘going out’, but we have formed an impenetrable bond-”

“Oh, for the love of-!” Kuwata yelled. As he did so, he slapped his hand against his forehead and turned to go back to the school. 

Everyone was going to turn and leave the fanfic creator behind, when a girl poked her head out of the café and, with a smile on her face, came running over to him.

She waved cheerfully at the doujin author, and exclaimed in a slightly raspy voice, “Welcome home, Master Yamada! Come to see Kiyo-chan again? I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you too. I’ll make sure she serves you, as always...” she trailed off when she saw the others, “Oh, hello!” she giggled, “Yamada-kun, you didn’t tell me you had this many friends.”

The girl who came to greet Yamada was about his height, with bright pink hair tied into shoulder length, wavy twin tails. Her eyes were pink as well, and they seemed to hold a certain playfulness to them. She was also wearing a rather elaborate pink maid uniform that hugged her body, especially her hips and bust, perfectly. Her appearance seemed to purposefully mimic a certain Nyannyanian maid, most likely to bring in anime-loving customers such as Yamada. 

“Well, come on in Masters! Oh, and Mistress,” she said, correcting herself after seeing Fujisaki. Soon, the group was ushered inside by the maid, and arranged at a booth with Yamada and Hagakure on one side, and Fujisaki, Oowada, and Kuwata on the other. The girl then bowed, and moved to the back of the cafe.

“So Yamada-chi, was that the girl?” asked Hagakure.

“She was not. However, I am sure that her keet-like antics are appealing to some. That was Michizoe Yumi-dono, and she owns this grand establishment.”

Yamada continued to praise the cafe and Michizoe’s apparent wonderful entrepreneur skills when violent whispering started to seep out from the back of the restaurant. This caught the attention of some of the café goers, but they soon ignored it. Soon after this occurrence, another maid came out from the back and began making their way toward the table.

The approaching girl was on the taller side, for a woman. She had long, thick, black hair that concealed most of her face, but parted slightly to reveal her nose, part of her mouth, and one, big green eye. Her hairstyle implied a Fujisaki-esque meekness, and so much could be guessed from the obvious nervousness that seemed to radiate off her, but, despite this, she walked with her head up and her back straight. She wore that same pink, frilly dress as Michizoe and the rest of the maids, but her outfit was slightly different due to the small dry-erase board that hung from a strap across her chest. 

When she made her way to the front of the table, she greeted them all with a small bow, and quickly took up her dry erase board and started to quickly scribble something on it. When she turned it around, it revealed the words “Greeting Masters and Mistress. I am Asaga Kikiyo. How may I serve you?”

All the table’s patrons leaned in to read the sign, “What the-?” started Kuwata.

“Ah, allow me to explain for you, Asaga Kikiyo-dono, my dear!” declared Yamada, adjusting his glasses, “You see, Asaga Kikiyo-dono cannot speak, and therefore uses signs to communicate with this establishment’s patrons!”

“Err, okay,” said Hagakure, “Do you guys have burgers?”

“Wait a minute,” said Kuwata, “why would a place like this hire a waitress that can’t even talk?” 

Kuwata gave Asaga a strange look, which seemed to take her aback slightly. She lifted her dry-erase board again to write, but simply stared at it pensively. She probably didn’t know how to respond.

Yamada, however, responded for her, “Kuwata Leon-dono! How dare you make the assumption that Asaga Kikiyo-dono is underqualified due to her lack of speech! In fact, she is overqualified! Everyone always flocks for the shy, quiet type!”

“She ain’t one of your cartoon characters, Yamada,” said Oowada, making eye contact with Asaga for a second. She quickly hid her face in her hair. 

“You sure treat her special, is she the girl you been talking about?” asked Kuwata, giving Asaga another once over.

“Yes indeed,” declared Yamada, “Asaga Kikiyo-dono was the one to serve me when I first decided to visit this establishment, and we’ve bonded quite a bit. We listen with great interest about what the other has to say, and I feel as though I could tell her anything! Currently, I have been teaching her the ways of doujinshi!”

Yamada then smiled widely at Asaga, prompting an anxious smile back, along with a new sign, “Yes, Me and Master have become quite close. He has taught me a lot.” 

Asaga then nervously took their orders down on her handy dandy dry erase board, bowed, and returned to the back of the restaurant. 

“…Ya know that it’s her job ta listen to ya talk, right?” asked Oowada. 

“Yeah,” said Kuwata, “She ain’t doing it because she likes you or anything.”

Yamada became visibly stressed, “I know! I know, but…”he trailed off, probably not sure how to explain the reasoning behind the feelings he had, but he made his point that they were not going away. 

Oowada sighed, this was even worse than when he fell in love with Fujisaki’s computer program.

After a short while of small talk between the group, Fujisaki got up to go to the bathroom, but just as she got up and began walking in the direction of the lavatory, Fujisaki turned to find herself inches from Asaga Kikiyo.

Asaga did not notice the small girl in time and the perfectly balanced platters she had been holding came crashing down to the floor. That was not all that fell, as Fujisaki could not hold the weight of Asaga’s body, and the two of them came crashing to the floor as well. 

Fujisaki struggled a bit underneath the much taller female, who seemed to still be slightly dazed from the fall. When Asaga lifted her head though and noticed the tiny girl below her, she quickly jumped off of her, placed her palms on the floor, and made the deepest bow Fujisaki had ever seen. The bow was followed by frantic writing, and Asaga held out a sign with the words, “I’m terribly sorry!” written on it. 

Oowada quickly got up from his seat the help Fujisaki to her feet, Kuwata and Hagakure leaned over the table to see what happened, and Yamada looked on in horror. Michizoe came running out from the back to see what the commotion was, and aided Oowada in helping Fujisaki up. 

“Shi-chan, could you come clean this up!?” Michizoe called out. A girl with a partially shaved head nodded back to Michizoe, and traveled into the back of the restaurant for supplies.

“You okay, Fujisaki?” asked Oowada.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” Fujisaki answered. She looked down at Asaga, who was still on the floor bowing and holding up the sign at the same time, “Um, i-it’s okay, um, Asaga-san. I-it was my fault.”

Yamada seemed to have gotten out of his chair to help Asaga, but Oowada beat him to the punch. He held out his hand to her, and Asaga looked up, confused, as if she had no understanding of this gesture.

“Er, take my hand,” explained Oowada, his face turning a light shade pink. 

Asaga, jumped a bit, and blushed as well before taking Oowada’s hand as she was told. He helped her up with a slight tug. 

Yamada seemed perturbed by this event occurring before him, “Oowada Mondo-dono, that’s-!” he began, but a look from said gang leader shut him up with a pathetic squeak.

After the nasty fall and cleanup, the rest of the visit went as normal for the group and their maid. While they ate, the group played a few games with Asaga, and Yamada even got her to spoon-feed him some of his meal. The entire time though, unnoticed by the others, Fujisaki couldn’t help but feel there was something off about Asaga, and the fact that she was very, very familiar…

oOo

“I am very sorry about the plates and food that I had carelessly broken earlier! I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Surely, with my next paycheck-“

“Kiyo-chan, Kiyo-chan! Calm down!” commanded Michizoe, who pulled Asaga up from her bow, “Don’t worry about it, alright? I got it covered.”

“But-,”

“I. Got. It. Covered.”

“…Alright. But I will surely make it up to you somehow!”

“Yes, you do that,” said Michizoe, patting Asaga on the back. 

Just then, Honda, one of the other maids, came into the back, “Asaga-chan, there’s someone here to see you.”

“What?” said Michizoe, “Tell them we’re closed.”

“They say they’re a classmate of yours.”

Asaga seemed to freeze where she was standing. A classmate of hers? No, there’s no way…

“A…classmate?” Michizoe asked, seemingly just as confused as Asaga was. She thought for a moment, before responding with, “Well! Bring them in!”

Asaga grew panicked and tried to stop Michizoe, to no avail. She already entered the main dining hall, and found a small girl waiting there, “Hey, you’re the girl from earlier who’s friends with Yamada-kun!” Michizoe greeted cheerfully. Fujisaki nodded, but wasn’t sure about the whole ‘friend’ part. Michizoe quickly ran to the back, and dragged an ever reluctant Asaga back toward Fujisaki. Michizoe then returned to the back, but, unknown to Fujisaki and Asaga, peeked at the pair through a slightly ajar door. The other maids joined as well.

The two stood in silence for a while before Fujisaki said, “Um, you’re probably wondering why I’m here to see you but, before…”

Fujisaki took a step closer, while Asaga took a step back. Asaga continued to keep quiet; her lips forcefully pushed together.

“When you fell on me…and we were face to face…You kind of looked like someone I know…”

Asaga could feel her face heating up, preparing herself for the worst…

“So…I just wanted to ask…” Fujisaki continued. 

Oh no…

“Is that you…Ishimaru-kun?”

Asaga went running for the back, unable to handle the embarrassment. She didn’t make it very far though, as she tripped on a stray bottle that may or may not have been rolled out from behind the back room door. The bottle sent her backwards, and she landed with a thud on her back. 

Fujisaki went running over to her, to make sure she was alright, and saw that the fall had caused her hair to go every which way, revealing the entirety of her face, including both eyes, the rest of her mouth, and two rather large eyebrows. 

Fujisaki sighed a relieved sigh, glad to see Asaga was alright. She smiled, “So it really is you, Ishimaru-kun.”

Asaga, or rather, Ishimaru, answered with a groan.


	2. How it Happened

Michizoe waved the other two maids goodbye, closed the café door, and went to stand in front of Fujisaki and Ishimaru, who were currently sitting at one of the café’s tables. Ishimaru had since removed his wig and contacts and changed out of his maid uniform. He was now wearing his Hope’s Peak school uniform, which he had originally worn to the café.

Ishimaru was looking down anxiously at his fists in his lap. Fujisaki sat at the opposite side of the table and now, after the initial reveal, was unsure of what to say. Michizoe looked at them both fidgeting in their seats, and sighed; she would have to break the silence, “So the secret is already out, eh Kiyo-chan? That didn’t last long,” she then looked at Fujisaki expectantly, “How exactly did you find out again, err…?” 

“Fujisaki Chihiro,” answered Fujisaki, “It’s just that, when we crashed into each other and he fell on me, Ishimaru-kun happened to look down at me. When he did, his, um, hair was hanging down, and was no longer covering his forehead…um, so…”

“Gah! Kiyo-chan, I told you that you needed to shave those caterpillars of yours.” Michizoe said, playfully poking Ishimaru’s cheek and pouting. 

“I-I could not have! If someone in my class were to notice and question it, I would not have known how to respond!” Ishimaru retorted, covering his eyebrows with his hands self-consciously. 

“Um, Ishimaru-kun,” started Fujisaki, “Sorry, but, h-how did you start working here?"

Ishimaru looked at Fujisaki for a second before sighing, “It is…a long story…”

“You may not have known,” he began, “but my father and I do not have very much money due to having to pay off my grandfather’s debt. Not long ago, I decided that I wished to help out my father in any way I could, so I went to acquire a part-time job. After getting approval from school, I began my search, but I could not find an opening when-“

“You saw me handing out fliers!” interrupted Michizoe.

oOo

“Come visit the Honey Bunny Maid Café! Our maids are excited to serve you! Now hiring!” Michizoe called out to the passing crowd. Not too many people were interested in though: none of the girls she approached were interested in working there, and only about three fliers had been handed out to potential customers all day. Michizoe was feeling a little disheartened and slightly annoyed at the lack of interest, but did her best to keep and cheerful smile and a happy voice. 

Michizoe then noticed Ishimaru walking down the street, reading a small note he had written for himself. She also noticed that he was wearing a high school uniform. _Oooh high school boy_ , thought Michizoe, _That’s my kind of demographic!_

Ishimaru’s attention was ripped from his note, which he dropped, when a flyer was swung at him and stopped inches away from his face, “Come visit the Honey Bunny Maid Café! Our maids are excited to serve you! Noooow hiring!” said the girl holding the flyer, a smile on her face. 

Ishimaru honed in on the last two words: now hiring, “Ah! This place is hiring, yes!? Then please, allow me to become a part of your work force!” He said, bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle. 

Michizoe was taken aback by this boy’s enthusiasm at working at a maid café, and noticed the note that he had dropped. On it was a list of different places, each of them with a slash through them. _Must be having a hard time with finding a job_ , she thought. Michizoe considered Ishimaru for a second before answering, “Well, I guess you could wash dishes or prepare food or something-“

“Thank you very much!” yelled Ishimaru, standing up from his bow and saluting. 

“No, thank you,” said Michizoe, an amused smile on her face, “My name is Michizoe Yumi, Welcome to Honey Bunny.”

oOo

It’s been a few weeks now, and Ishimaru has gotten used to his small job at the maid café. He did not have a full understanding of what a maid café really was before he worked there, albeit, he still wasn’t very sure what the appeal was, but a job was a job. At least his coworkers were kind; a little eccentric, but kind.

This place was quite small, though. With only three waitresses, few people showed up. They instead went to larger, more popular cafés. This put a damper on the spirits of the maids. They seemed to think of their jobs as something enjoyable, and it upset them that they could not have as much fun as they would like. No matter how much advertising they did, though, they couldn’t find more recruits.

“This place needs more maids!” complained Michizoe one day after work. As per usual, Ishimaru, who tended to stay longer at the request of Michizoe (When he inquired, Michizoe said it was because she had taken a liking to him.), Michizoe herself, and the two other maids: Honda Shizune and Fujimoto Hikari were sitting at one of the tables. 

“Sorry. Doing the best I can, boss,” said Honda.

“I’ll do even better next time I try recruiting, Michizoe-sama!” said Fujimoto.

“I am certain that the lack of waitresses is because after school jobs are usually not allowed,” said Ishimaru.

“I guess so, but come on! I’m not just looking for high schoolers! There has to be a least some pretty girl out there who needs a job…” Michizoe trailed off, presumably in thought. She then looked at the people surrounding her: Honda, Fujimoto…and then Ishimaru. Suddenly, a devious thought came to her mind, “Hey, why don’t we dress up Kiyo-chan as a maid? Maybe he’d bring in customers.”

“E-excuse me?” asked Ishimaru.

Both the other maids’ faces lit up, “Oh, oh! I wanna dress him up!” said Honda.

“I’m sure he would look wonderful in one of our uniforms,” said Fujimoto, giggling. 

“Uh, uh, I do not wish to dress in such an outfit. I do not think it would be very fitting for someone like -“

Michizoe jumped out of her seat and headed for the door, “Let’s go! I have a bunch of makeup and stuff at my apartment!” she said, completely ignoring Ishimaru’s protests, “This is going to be so much fun!”

Before Ishimaru could react, he found each of his arms being grasped by Honda and Fujimoto. The four of them, led by Michizoe, left the restaurant.

oOo

“Ta-dah!” yelled Michizoe, handing Ishimaru a mirror. 

Ishimaru took the mirror and reluctantly looked into it. He barely recognized himself, mostly because the wig he was wearing was covering most of his face. He also felt very uncomfortable: the dress was tight in all the wrong places, the wig caused his face to itch, and the stockings they gave him were a little too small. At least they let him wear his normal underwear…

“What do you think, girls? Isn’t he beautiful?” asked Michizoe. 

“Yes, snrk, very beautiful.”

“He does look quite nice.”

“Michizoe-kun, could I take these things off now?” asked Ishimaru. 

“Of course not!” cried Michizoe cheerfully, “We need to teach you proper maid etiquette if you’re going to be serving customers.”

“S-serving-!? Michizoe-kun, I cannot go out in public like this! What if one of the customers were to discover that I am male!?” Ishimaru cried, “Besides, someone still needs to wash the dishes and-!”

“We’ll just share the jobs. What do you think we do when you’re not working? We need maids, and we need them now!” Michizoe yelled. The other maids cheered as well. 

“Michizoe-kun, but-“

“No buts! You do realize if we go under, we’re all out of a job?”

That was right, Honey Bunny was a struggling business. They were teetering on the edge of total failure if they didn’t find a way to make business boom. Of course Ishimaru didn’t believe that a boy wearing a maid uniform would be of much help, but the girls all seemed to think that it would. They knew more about maid cafes than Ishimaru could ever hope to. Also, besides losing his job, he would hate to see the others, who have treated him like a friend, lose their jobs as well. There may be no other choice…

“Soooo,… you’ll do it?” Michizoe asked.

Ishimaru sighed, “…Alright, I will do it.”

All three maids cheered. 

oOo

“And it worked out better than we ever could have hoped!” said Michizoe, laughing, “After we got him some cute green contacts, Asaga Kikiyo was born! And she is super popular with the men! We even have regulars now, like Master Yamada. Who knew the quiet, shy type would be such a hit? And when said quiet, shy type is secretly a dude!? Then again, I knew all along that Kiyo-chan could bring in customers…”

“Was this all a gamble?” asked Ishimaru, surprised and slightly distressed over the revelation.

“Maybe.”

“Well, um, okay,” said Fujisaki, after ingesting the whole tale. She wasn’t sure how to respond to it, “I’m h-happy that you’re able to help out your dad, Ishimaru-kun.”

“I am also glad,” said Ishimaru. Suddenly, he stood up from his seat and stood next to Fujisaki. Fujisaki looked on confused as Ishimaru bowed deeply and asked, “I-I beg of you, Fujisaki-kun, please do not tell any of our classmates about this! I do not wish to disgrace my family name in any way!”

Ishimaru’s worries were something that Fujisaki could understand all too well, “Don’t worry, Ishimaru-kun,” she said, “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you very much, Fujisaki-kun!”

“…Hey, Chi-chan?” asked Michizoe, out of the blue.

“Um, y-yes?” asked Fujisaki, a little taken aback by the sudden nickname.

“Would you like to be a maid too?” as she said this, Michizoe’s eyes lit up. Excitement started to get the best of her, “You would be just the cutest little maid! I’m sure our customers would adore you!”

“W-well, I, uh-“

“Aww, come on. Pleeeease?”

“Michizoe-kun,” said Ishimaru, “Fujisaki-kun would have to get permission from Hope’s Peak in order to take a part-time job. Also, a part time job would surely cut into Fujisaki’s studies.”

“Y-yeah, that’s right,” said Fujisaki, a little relieved. Something then popped into her head, “Ishimaru-kun, isn’t this job cutting into your study time?” Fujisaki and everyone else in their class knew how important studying was for the moral compass. She was surprised he would willingly spend time elsewhere rather than in front of a book. Was his family’s money issue really that bad? 

“Yes, well, I assure you Fujisaki-kun, that I have made sure to move back my bedtime by a few hours in order to get in the most amount of studying! I know that a proper amount of sleep is very important for a student, but being familiar with the course material is even more important! And, as they say, ‘sleep is for the weak’! Hahaha!” Ishimaru then took a moment to look at his watch, “As it is, I should dillydally no longer! I need to get home and study. Goodnight Fujisaki-kun, Michizoe-kun!” and with a firm salute, he left the building. 

“He sure is an interesting one,” said Michizoe, giggling.

“He…kind of scares me a little…”

“Why? Because he talks so loud?” asked Michizoe, “Eh, you get used to it,” Michizoe smiled, “Now about becoming a maid…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I'm portraying maid cafes correctly.


	3. Fujisaki Chihiro

School was about to start. Ishimaru, due to his status and class representative, took it upon himself to make sure each of the other fifteen students were in the classroom and prepared before the teacher came in. Of course, the students didn’t have to come to class, but rather than deal with Ishimaru coming to their rooms and banging on their doors or finding them and dragging them to class anyway, everyone, some begrudgingly, came to class on their own. 

Enoshima Junko and her sister, Ikusaba Mukuro, walked in. It was only ten minutes before class was going to start, so Ishimaru said something to them about how they should have been there earlier. Junko just scoffed at him, only to respond that the rich kid and the smelly literary girl weren’t even there yet. 

That was right; Togami and Fukawa were not here yet! Even though class was to start soon! The two were usually some of the later students to show up, but they were really pushing it this time, in Ishimaru’s opinion. Just as Ishimaru was thinking of trying to find them, Togami showed up, with Fukawa not very far behind. 

“Togami-kun, Fukawa-kun, class is about to begin! I advise that you get here earlier from now on!” reprimanded Ishimaru. 

Fukawa hunched over a bit further, and gave the moral compass a sideways glance, “A-are you just here to yell at me? Ugh! My life is just a s-series of unpleasant experiences! Next you’re going to call me u-ugly or worthless, a-aren’t you?” she said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. 

“I’m going to have to agree with the girl: don’t you have anything better to do?” said Togami, “Or is the loser’s grandson going to try and act high and mighty again?” Togami then turned and went to his seat.

Fukawa clutched her heart, “Byakuya-sama…agreed with me!? Oh master…haa…haa.” Rather than take her seat, Fukawa went to stand near Togami, much to his annoyance.

“…Fuckin’ asshole. I’ll crush him.”

Ishimaru turned to see Oowada Mondo standing behind him, glaring at the two who just passed. Ishimaru was flattered that his kyodai cared so much, but decided to still voice his displeasure over the idea. 

“Violence is not allowed, Kyodai,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah…,” Oowada replied. Soon after, a huge yawn escaped him.

“Are you not getting the proper amount of sleep?” asked Ishimaru.

“Yeah, well, this new gang has been formin’ and The Crazy Diamonds and them’s been fighting over turf.”

“Kyodai! I am sure that you have not been putting yourself in danger! You could be injured, or worse!”

“Eh, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. The whole gang’s a buncha weaklings.”

Ishimaru wasn’t completely convinced, but was stopped from protesting further when Fujisaki decided to join them.

“Um, good morning Oowada-kun, Ishimaru-kun,” she greeted.

“Hey, Fujisaki. How are ya?” greeted Oowada. He ruffled the programmer’s hair.

“Ah!” started Ishimaru, his outburst causing Fujisaki to jump a little, “Fujisaki-kun, I must speak to you alone before class begins!”

“Um, ah, okay,” responded Fujisaki, confused. 

Ishimaru turned to Oowada, “We may speak again after class!” he said, smiling. He gave his kyodai a quick salute.

“Err…okay,” said Oowada. He then watched the two leave the classroom. He was even more puzzled than Fujisaki.

Once outside the classroom, Ishimaru leaned in close to Fujisaki and, to the best of his ability, whispered, “Fujisaki-kun, I have been asked to deliver a message to you from Michizoe-kun.”

“I-it’s not about me becoming a maid, is it?”

“I do not believe so,” answered Ishimaru, standing up straight again, “She said that she only wishes to see you again.”

“Ah, okay. Um, why?”

“She said that she had taken a liking to you.”

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, causing Ishimaru to freak, “Ahhh! Class is starting! And I am not in the classroom! How could I allow this to happen!? What kind of student am I!?” he cried as he ran back into the classroom. 

Fujisaki followed.

oOo

Fujisaki began to find herself going to the Honey Bunny Maid Café every Saturday after school with Ishimaru. She slowly became friendlier with the four maids that worked there, and their presence made Fujisaki’s time there rather enjoyable. She began to look forward to her weekly visits. As she spent more time around them, she found that the four of them were all very interesting in their own way. Each of them had rather distinct personalities.

First there was Michizoe, the head maid and the owner of the café. Her cheerful and upbeat personality was very contagious, and Fujisaki felt happier overall just being around her. 

Second there was Honda, the maid designated as the ‘bad girl’. Despite the cold and standoffish act she put on for the customers, she was actually a playful person; someone who liked to play pranks and tell, sometimes crude, jokes. 

Third there was Fujimoto, the ‘proper girl’, and she was fit for the part. She treated others with utmost respect, and was always trying to improve herself. 

Lastly there was Ishimaru, aka: Asaga Kikiyo. Not long ago, Fujisaki would have described Ishimaru as a scary person, but now, didn’t feel that way anymore. Of course, she still couldn’t help but get a little scared every time he talked just a little too loudly (which was always), but that was beside the point. She was also always surprised how much he could change just by putting on a wig and a dress. If he hadn’t fallen on her that day, she would have never had guessed that Asaga was actually Ishimaru. She wondered if it may have been the inability to talk and his fear of being discovered (especially by Yamada) that made it so. Those were what made him fit for the ‘quiet, shy girl’ archetype. 

Since Ishimaru and Asaga seemed so different, people treated them differently as well. This was mostly evident with Yamada, who almost never spoke to Ishimaru but constantly wanted to be with Asaga. It also visible with people in general too: people at school treated Ishimaru with distaste but Asaga with devotion. She wondered if Ishimaru noticed too. 

Overall, the people here were all very kind, and Fujisaki eventually felt that they were people that she could actually call her friends.

oOo

One day, on the way to the maid café, Ishimaru and Fujisaki got caught in a rather sudden downpour. Because it was so sudden, neither of them had been prepared; they had neither raincoats nor umbrellas. As a result, both parties were soaking wet by the time they got to the maid café. The two of them ran inside, leaving a trail of puddles in their wake.

“Fujisaki-kun, quickly!” demanded Ishimaru, breathing heavily from their run, “We must change, or else we with both catch colds!”

“B-but, I don’t have anything to change into,” answered Fujisaki.

Ishimaru thought for a moment before saying, “I do not think Michizoe-kun would mind if you were to borrow one of the extra uniforms.”

Fujisaki really didn’t want to do anything that could possibly prompt Michizoe into begging her to become a maid again, but she guessed she had no choice. 

The two of them seemed to be the only ones in the restaurant, so they decided to take turns using the changing room in the back to dress. With a firm salute, Ishimaru gave himself the job of guarding the back room door to make sure, if anyone were to enter the restaurant, they would not walk in on Fujisaki. The place was very small, so the front door was actually the only way into the place besides the emergency exit in the back. 

Fujisaki agreed to this plan and walked into the back. Despite coming here often, Fujisaki never actually been into the back of the café. The front was simple, a small setup of tables and chairs, a counter to pay at, and a bathroom to the back left. To the back right was the door that led to the kitchen, another small bathroom, and a tiny room in which all the uniforms and personal belongings were kept. This room was the room in which Fujisaki decided to get changed. 

Fujisaki searched the small rack of dresses until she found one that she believed would fit her. She took it down and placed it on the chair beside her. She then took a second to make sure Ishimaru hadn’t come in for some reason, confirmed he didn’t, and started to change.

Just as Fujisaki removed her top, though, someone else came walking through the door. It was Michizoe. Michizoe froze upon seeing the half-naked Fujisaki, and noticed that Fujisaki’s chest may have been just a little too flat. Fujisaki let out a loud yelp, and tried to cover herself as best she could with her arms. In the small moment that passed, Fujisaki did wonder where Michizoe had come from, but also remembered about how she and Ishimaru had managed to get into the café without having to unlock the door. 

“Ah!” said Michizoe, covering her eyes with her hands, “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! I-“

The yelp emitted by Fujisaki had alerted Ishimaru, who came dashing into the back, “Fujisaki-kun! Are you alri-!?” 

Ishimaru also froze upon seeing the bare back of Chihiro Fujisaki, who had turned around. After a moment’s realization, both Ishimaru and Michizoe looked at each other, and left the room in a rush, leaving a rather teary-eyed Fujisaki behind.

oOo

The rest of the day passed as usual, albeit filled with awkward interactions between the three, and eventually it was only them left in the café. After Michizoe waved goodbye to the other two maids, she turned to see Ishimaru bowing to Fujisaki, his body at a perfect ninety-degree angle. 

“Fujisaki-kun!” responded Ishimaru, still dressed in female garb, “I deeply apologize about walking into the room while you were changing! I had thought that you were possibly in trouble, and came to help! I was wrong! Please forgive me!” 

Fujisaki was taken aback by the apology, and then, immediately, she began to cry. Large tears started streaming down her face, tears that she had been holding in since said event. 

“I’m sorry too, Chi-chan,” said Michizoe, solemnly, “I didn’t realize anyone was in here except for me. You guys must’ve walked in while I was in the bathroom.”

Fujisaki sobbed, “You guys saw…didn’t you?” 

“Oh, um yeah, I did…,” said Michizoe. She walked over to Fujisaki and placed both hands on her tiny shoulders. She leaned in and said softly, “I know something like this happening is very scary, and my saying this doesn’t really diminish the impact of it happening, but I really mean it when I say that it’s okay. Believe me, I’m the last person to treat you poorly because of it. And Kiyo-chan here, he’s a good guy, I’m sure he’s not the type to think badly of you either, okay? And I promise we both won’t tell anyone.” Michizoe then leaned in and whispered in Fujisaki’s ear, “I’m actually…t-to tell you the truth…d-don’t tell anyone else…the same way…”

Fujisaki wiped her tears with her hand, “You guys…don’t care that I’m a boy?”

“You’re a boy?” asked Michizoe, dumbfounded.

“Fujisaki-kun, you are a man? Is this true?” asked Ishimaru.

Fujisaki realized that he should have kept his mouth shut. The secret was definitely out now. “Yes, …I am a boy,” he sighed. More tears began flowing from his eyes. 

“If this is true,” said Ishimaru, “then why do you use Hope’s Peak’s female school uniform? If you are a boy, you should be wearing a male school uniform, in accordance to the school’s guidelines.”

“I-I…I,” stuttered Fujisaki, “...It’s because I’m still weak.”

“Weak?”

“All my life…,” Fujisaki began, “People always told me to act tougher, that I was weak, all because I was a boy. Everyone…e-everyone I ever met told me that I was a guy, a-and I should act like one.

One day I-I just…couldn’t take it anymore. I started wearing skirts. I-if I was a girl, no one would tell me to act like a boy a-anymore, right? I w-was so weak. If anyone were to f-find out, though, I-it would be even worse. I-I just…I had to keep it a secret, and now…now you guys know,” Fujisaki started crying again, “T-the only other person who knows is Oowada-kun. I-I’ve been trying to o-overcome it b-by training with him. I want to change so bad but, I just…I just…can’t. S-so…please… don’t tell anyone, I…I…” Fujisaki could no longer form words. He cried and cried. 

Neither Ishimaru nor Michizoe was expecting a story like this, but, despite this, the both of them knew exactly what to say.

“Fujisaki-kun,” began Ishimaru, “It was very brave of you to tell us such a guarded secret, and for telling Kyodai too.”

Fujisaki looked up.

“He’s right,” said Michizoe, “You’re not weak at all; you’re very strong for telling us such a story all on your own.”

“W-what?” asked Fujisaki, unable to process the compliments, “N-no, you’re wrong, I-“

“We’re not wrong, Chi-chan,” said Michizoe, “You really are very strong. You say that you’re weak because you still dress the way you do but, you’re trying, right?”

Ishimaru spoke, “Yes! Changing oneself does not come easily! Do not expect to happen so soon! Taking your first step by telling Kyodai and the two of us already mean you are improving yourself!” Ishimaru then made his way over to Fujisaki, and placed his hands on Fujisaki’s shoulders, as Michizoe had done before, “Do not fret! Neither I nor Michizoe-kun will tell a soul! That is something you must do on your own! For now, you must continue to make progress at your own pace!”

The tears falling from Fujisaki’s eyes slowly began to subside. He sniffed, “I-I…thank you.”

Both Ishimaru and Michizoe smiled. Michizoe took a moment to run to the back and come back holding a box of tissues. Fujisaki took a few and wiped his eyes and nose. 

When he was done, Fujisaki walked over to Michizoe and whispered in her ear, “Michizoe-san, can I ask you a question?”

“Hm? Shoot.”

“W-what did you mean by you’re the same way?”

Michizoe straightened up and placed a hand on Fujisaki’s back as she let out a weird-sounding laugh. She them placed a hand on Ishimaru’s back as well and drove them into the back of the café while spouting, “Ha…Haha…ha, hey! Why don’t we get changed and get going, shall we? I gotta go on home and I’m sure you guys do too, haha! I’m sure your clothes are dry by now!”

After pushing the two of them into the back, Michizoe quickly closed the door and leaned against it so they couldn’t come back out. She could hear the two of them talk to each other confusedly. 

Michizoe sighed, “I guess he’s the only strong one…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter before realizing that the whole 'walking in on someone changing' thing wasn't exactly a very good thing to have in a story. I tried to change things a bit to make it better, but I fear it didn't. If this chapter is at all in anyway hurtful or offensive, I will definitely rewrite it. I would really appreciate feedback. The last thing i want to do is hurt someone with my dumb fanfiction...


	4. Fukawa Touko

It was Sunday, and Michizoe had given Ishimaru the day off. Because of this, Ishimaru decided to spend some time at home with his beloved father, Ishimaru Takaaki. The two of them were eating dinner together. Because he was usually staying in his Hope’s Peak dorm, Ishimaru didn’t get to spend as much time with his father as he would like. At certain times, though, like this weekend, it was a perfect opportunity to visit his father before going back to school. 

Ishimaru’s mother died when he was very young, and so it was only the two of them living in their small house. Their house may have been on the small side, and was a little dilapidated, but Ishimaru tried his best to keep the place clean and welcoming. This was made easier due to them not having much more than essentials in the house, but his father was, sadly, somewhat of a slob, and so Ishimaru was always cleaning up after him. He was still surprised that his father could get along without him around sometimes. 

Despite the fact that they were eating dinner, Takaaki was drinking a rather large cup of coffee. His father would most likely get called into work, as he does most nights, but Ishimaru still thinks his father is addicted to the stuff. Even so, Ishimaru decided to let it go; it would be rather hypocritical to call out his father on the habit when he drinks so much himself. It is very helpful when he must get up very early or stay up late due to schoolwork and what-not. 

Takaaki grunted, and spoke in a low, scratchy voice, “This may have a foregone answer, but…,” He took another sip of his drink, “How’s school been going?”

Ishimaru lit up, “I assure you, Father, that it is going very well! I have yet to get a grade lower than an A on anything!”

Takaaki laughed, “Good boy.”

Even when Ishimaru was free, his father wasn’t always the same way. This lead to even less opportunity to spend time together. Sometimes he would come home, only to leave again soon after. Ishimaru was used to this happening, since it’s always been this way since he was small, but became even worse after his grandfather’s scandal. After that, his father faced the consequence of being fired, and now must work almost double the time for less pay in order to keep his job. 

“Have you been okay being by yourself?” asked Takaaki.

“Yes, I am faring well. To tell the truth, at first it was rather lonely, but after meeting Kyodai, school has become even better than before! I have also become acquainted with another of my classmates, named Fujisaki-kun, and a coworker of mine, Michizoe-kun.”

Takaaki smiled, “Glad ta hear it,” he took another sip of his drink before adding, “These new people aren’t gang members too, are they?”

Ishimaru was pretty sure his father was joking, but there was probably some seriousness to his question as well. “No, they are not,” Ishimaru answered. He remembers that his father wasn’t too keen on the idea of him being friends with the infamous Oowada Mondo, but was happy that he still allowed the friendship. Ishimaru wasn’t sure what he would do if he were to tell Ishimaru to break it off with him.

Ishimaru decided to change the subject, “How has work been recently, father?”

“Eh, been pretty hectic, actually,” said Takaaki, sighing, “Some new gang has popped up and it’s been growing fast. Officer yesterday took down a member that was carrying a firearm. You be careful out there, son.”

“I will, Father” Ishimaru remembered hearing his Kyodai mention something about another gang as well. He’d make sure to tell the biker about the dangers of this new gang. Hopefully he’d actually listen and keep safe. Ishimaru felt the beginnings of worry start in his stomach. 

“How’s yer new job, Kiyotaka? Been working hard?”

Ishimaru was snapped out of his thoughts, “Ah, y-yes!” 

“They aren’t running you rampant, are they? I know I can’t stop ya from working, but I’d rather you not overdo it, as you usually do…”

“They do not ‘run me rampant’ as you say. And I am not ‘overdoing’ it either. I know exactly how much I can take, father.”

Takaaki laughed again, “Whatever you say Kiyotaka.”

Ishimaru had, of course, told his father that he had a job. He would have no other way of explaining the money that he made to give to Takaaki. Ishimaru had, though, stretched the truth slightly. He told him that he was indeed a waiter, but not at a maid café. Ishimaru absolutely hated lying, and believed that it was best to have everything out in the open, but he wasn’t sure how his father would react to the fact that he cross-dressed for money. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out. As a result, he was forced to omit that information. Luckily, Takaaki never asked for the name of the place.

Suddenly, Takaaki’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, Takaaki hung up and began to stand up, “Sorry, Kiyotaka, but I gotta go. Boss just called ‘nd wants me down at the station.”

“I understand, Father,” answered Ishimaru, who also began to stand up, “Here, allow me to clean up.”

“Thanks, Kiyotaka,” Takaaki said, then headed for the door. After grabbing his coat and putting on his shoes, he stopped for a moment, turned, and said, “Hey, remember, if yer ever in trouble, just call me okay. I’ll come runnin’.”

Ishimaru, who was about to wash the dishes, turned to his father an answered with an earnest, “I will!” and saluted.

Takaaki smiled, “Good boy.” and left.

oOo

Ishimaru cared very deeply for his kyodai. Oowada Mondo was just such an amazing person, that he couldn’t help it. Upon first meeting him, though, Ishimaru thought that Oowada was just fowl-mouthed and aggressive, but this soon changed after circumstances lead them to pouring their hearts out to each other in a sweltering sauna. After that, he spent more time with Oowada, and the previous conceptions of the biker faded away and were replaced with adjectives such as fun, caring, loyal, sweet, and handsome. He felt that, if necessary, he would do anything for his kyodai. This must be what it was like to have such a close friend. Ishimaru loved the feeling. 

The only problem is, besides his kyodai, and now Fujisaki, people didn’t exactly enjoy his presence. Ishimaru may have been naïve, but he was not stupid. He realized that most people seemed to find him annoying or a bother; someone that they had to ‘deal’ with. Ishimaru hadn’t lied to his father, though: the social aspect of school was certainly better than it had been when he was younger, but that loneliness he felt, despite his kyodai and Fujisaki, was still alive and well. He hated it, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. At least, he thought, that his classmates here at Hope’s Peak were nothing like the ones at his previous school.

Lunch was about to end. This was no time to wallow in self-pity; it would interfere with his ability to pay attention in class. As he went to class, though, he ran into someone who wasn’t there that morning: Fukawa Touko. When Fukawa hadn’t shown up that morning, Ishimaru had gone to her dorm room to fetch her. Even though he rang the doorbell multiple times, Fukawa did not answer. Now she was here: seemingly tired, confused, and a little frightened. She was clearly very upset over something, but this did not deter Ishimaru. Ishimaru was ready to reprimand her the next day for failing to let the school know about her absence, but now he was ready to reprimand her for having an unexcused tardy, especially one that made Fukawa miss the entirety of the morning classes. 

“Fukawa-kun!” Ishimaru bellowed, “You have missed all of our morning classes! Explain yourself!”

Fukawa flinched and then grimaced, “W-why do I have to explain myself to you?”

“You have missed important class time, Fukawa-kun! Time that you cannot get back!”

“L-leave me alone,” Fukawa said, and started walking away.

Ishimaru followed, “You have missed important lessons and information that you need for your future! I may have been able to excuse it if you were ill, but that does not seem to be the case, is it, Fukawa-kun?”

“Leave. Me. Alone,” Fukawa said again, this time a little more demanding. 

“I shall not! It is now my duty to issue detention for y-“

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Ishimaru was taken aback by the writer’s outburst. He’s never heard her speak so loudly before. Her yelling also caused nearby students, who were still lingering in the cafeteria, to stop all conversation and look toward them. 

“Y-you don’t know anything!” yelled Fukawa, “Y-you think you are so great because you follow all the rules and the teacher’s commands l-like a dog. You think that you’re better than the rest of us! B-but that’s all you are! A dog!” She grinned, “N-now go, Mr. Dog! You can fetch students for the headmaster to discipline, but I won’t let you fetch me! I’m n-not your plaything,” Fukawa’s grin transformed back into a scowl, “Now leave me alone!”

Ishimaru and the rest of the students watched in awe as Fukawa left the area. As Ishimaru stood there, he began to hear whispering from the groups of students behind him. Unsure of how to proceed, he, rather than pursue Fukawa, instead quickly and quietly made his way to class. 

oOo

“Kikiyo-chan! Please marry me!” yelled one of the customers. Along with his outburst, the customer held out a small bouquet of flowers.

“I am sorry, but I will have to decline,” read Asaga’s dry-erase board. 

This refusal failed to deter the love-struck customer, “I understand, Kikiyo-chan. Your job keeps you from giving me a truthful answer. Don’t worry! I’ll wait for you-“

“Hey, hey! No proposing to my ladies!” Michizoe called from behind the pay counter.

“S-sorry, Yumi-chan.”

The rest of the shift passed uneventfully. Eventually only Ishimaru and Michizoe were left in the restaurant. Since it was Sunday, Chihiro didn’t come, and the other two maids had left already. 

Usually Ishimaru would change out of his uniform as soon as the place closed, but today he just sat at one of the booths, fully dressed as Asaga Kikiyo. Michizoe noticed this, and asked him about it.

Ishimaru sighed, “I…am feeling rather strange today.”

“Did something happen?” asked Michizoe. She sat down next to him.

“Hmm, not much of note has happened today. Earlier, I was reprimanding a rather…uncooperative student, but this is not a strange occurrence.”

“What’s so strange then?”

“I am not sure. I simply feel as though I am treated much differently when I am dressed as a woman. I am not sure if it is because the people at this café are much friendlier, but it makes me wonder what it would be like if I were to always wear female garb.”

Anger flashed across Michizoe’s features, “The people at your school don’t make fun of you, do they? Because I swear-!”

“Do not worry,” interrupted Ishimaru, “My life at Hope’s Peak is much better than my experiences at my previous school. I do, however, feel as though I am not thought of as a…enjoyable person to be around. I do not feel that way at this café, so I believe that it may be because I act as a different person.”

Michizoe sat down at the other side of the table, “Are you saying the customer’s here treat you better than your classmates? What about Chi-chan and that best friend of yours you’ve told me about?”

Ishimaru sighed, “I treasure them both dearly, but…I fear my presence bothers them at times. As Asaga Kikiyo, I do not feel as though I am a bother to others. The people here enjoy seeing me, but I am not always sure that Kyodai, Fujisaki-kun, and my other schoolmates always feel the same way.”

Michizoe reached out and touched Ishimaru’s shoulder, “Kiyo-chan, I-,”

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from outside the café, causing both Ishimaru and Michizoe to jump. The two of them stared at each other in confusion for a moment before coming to the silent conclusion that they should hurry toward the source of the sound.

The two of them ran outside, and began to hear muffled sounds from the side of the building. There was a small alley there, in which trash was stored, and Michizoe voiced that it may have been an animal that made the noise, but after determining the sounds were actually voices, the two continued to investigate. 

They ran to the opening of the alleyway to find two thuggish looking men facing away from them. They were looking at a young girl who had tripped on a trash can, knocking it over. Ishimaru looked closer at the girl, and noticed that she was none other than his classmate Fukawa Touko, cowering in the corner. 

“I’m gonna ask again,” said one of the thugs, “What’re ya doin’ out all by yourself, little girl? Don’t ya know it’s dangerous?”

“Don’t look at us like that,” said the second thug, “We’re just concerned citizens, is all. So why don’tcha come here and let us help ya, huh?”

They needed to act fast, “Hey! Leave her alone!” yelled Michizoe, catching the attention of both the thugs and Fukawa.

“The fuck?” said the first thug, raising an eyebrow, “What’s with the maids? What district are we in again?”

The second thug stared in surprise for a second before letting out a loud “Ha!”. He pushed the first slightly, “You idiot! Don’t question it, just enjoy.”

Their attention now turned on Michizoe and Ishimaru, Michizoe lost her confidence. She backed up slightly and pulled her arms up to her chest. Ishimaru noticed Michizoe’s visible fear, and moved to stand in front of her.

“Hehe, tryin’ to protect your friend, huh?” teased the first thug.

Ishimaru felt rage boiling within him. It grew as he watched Fukawa and Michizoe shiver in fear. How dare these two hooligans hurt one of his classmates and threaten one of his close friends. As class representative, as a friend, and as a person, he would not let this complete disregard for others stand. 

Ishimaru glared at the two thugs, and yelled in his most demanding voice, “You two must leave at once! I will not allow you to purposely harm and frighten these two girls further!”

The thugs were taken aback by Ishimaru’s outburst. Not because his words had any effect on them, but from his voice, “Wha-? We dealin’ with a fuckin’ shemale or somethin’?"

“The other one had kinda a raspy voice too, fuckin’ nasty,” commented the other thug. He glared back at Ishimaru, and slowly approached, “Hey, shrivel dick,” he called, “I recommend that you’re the one who should get the fuck out of here before I beat the living shit outta ya!”

By the time he was finished talking, the thug was standing right in front of Ishimaru. He was notably taller, and so loomed over Ishimaru with ease. Ishimaru was not fazed, however, and simply continued to glare at the thug, “If you do not back down,” Ishimaru warned, “Then I assure you that I will be contacting the proper authorities.”

The thug smiled, “Don’t make me laugh,” and aimed his fist right at Ishimaru’s face.

Ishimaru had dealt with violent miscreants for years, considering the authoritative stance he took with them. As a result, Ishimaru had been very prepared for the punch thrown his way. Ishimaru quickly moved out of the way of the punch, grabbed the arm of his attacker, and sent the butt of his palm into the bottom of the thug’s nose. Rather than continuing his assault, the thug reeled back from the blow and cradled his face in his hands. 

This event prompted the other thug to charge at Ishimaru, but he was prepared for that too. He dodged a punch aimed at his face by ducking, and rammed his full weight into the thug’s stomach, sending him to the ground. 

While both thugs writhed in pain, Michizoe grabbed Ishimaru’s wrist and motioned at Fukawa, and the three of them ran back into the café. Michizoe quickly locked the door behind her as Ishimaru helped Fukawa into a chair. Michizoe moved to call the police, but saw through the front door’s window both thugs running from the scene. 

Michizoe grabbed her chest and let out a relieve sigh. She turned and looked toward the others and saw Ishimaru frantically running toward the back. He came back holding a first aid kit, ready to treat any wounds Fukawa may have. 

Fukawa rejected Ishimaru’s attempt to help, “I’m fine,” Fukawa said, irritation in her voice.

“Hey!” called Michizoe, hands on her hips, “You could at least be a little nicer to the person who just saved you, ya know?”

Fukawa ignored her. Instead she gave Ishimaru a once over before asking, “I didn’t know that this is what you did with your free time, Ishimaru? How…perverted.” 

Ishimaru stared at her confusedly before realizing that he had been dressed as a woman this entire time. His stare transformed into a look of horror; Fukawa-kun must have realized it was him from his voice! How could he have been so forgetful?

“A morally upright prefect spending his private time wearing wigs and lace underwear! How indecent! O-oh my…,” Fukawa said, hugging herself and drooling slightly. She seemed lost in her own little world.

Michizoe yelled out angrily, “Stop that! What are you doing!?”

Fukawa grinned a rather perverted grin. “W-what? D-do you want me to stop? A man, in thigh-highs and garters…”

“S-stop it…” Michizoe began to blush.

“Fukawa-kun!” yelled Ishimaru, trying to sound as demanding as possible even though his embarrassment was beginning to show on his face. This needed to stop.

Fukawa was immediately detached from her thoughts, and looked away from the Ishimaru before mumbling, “Hmph. Y-you must hate me now, right? Is that it?”

“I do not hate you,” answered Ishimaru, “You are my classmate.”

“W-what does that have to do with anything?”

Ishimaru continued, “Fukawa-kun, what are you doing out so late? On a school night? You should be in your dorm studying and preparing for the next day. Is this why you were late for school today as well? Because you were out late?”

“W-what are you doing o-out, then?” Fukawa answered.

“I have been allowed by Headmaster Kirigiri to work a part-time job. You have yet to tell me why you were out, but I believe your time most likely would have been better spent studying.”

‘W-What does it matter?” Fukawa was started to get irritated again.

“Because I care about your wellbeing.”

“Why do you care!?” Fukawa yelled, hysterical now.

“Because you are my classmate-!”

“That’s not enough!” Fukawa yelled back, “B-being my classmate d-doesn’t mean a-anything! I-If it d-did, t-tell that to my old classmates! The ones that made me this way! T-they call you s-stupid, a-a-and ugly! They call you freak-“

“-And teacher’s pet, and loser, and suckup.” 

Fukawa stopped in her tracks. She looked up at Ishimaru and looked him in the eyes for the first time that night. 

Ishimaru continued, “There is more than just words too. Am I correct Fukawa-kun? Vandalizing your desk, getting rocks thrown at you…Do not say that I do not understand.”

“K-Kiyo-chan,” Michizoe said, solemnly. 

Fukawa stared at Ishimaru for a few seconds longer before turning away and mumbling, “Fine,” Fukawa then stood and headed for the door. 

“Fukawa-kun, allow me to walk you back to Hope’s Peak. I need to get back there as well.”

“I…I don’t need your help-“

“Now, now,” said Michizoe, “I’ve been quiet long enough. There’s no way I’m letting you out of this restaurant unless Kiyo-chan goes with you.”

Fukawa seemed like she wanted to fight, but was too tired to do so, “W-well,” started Fukawa, “I guess if he’s so d-desperate for attention…”

Ishimaru changed and the two of them left. After they dropped off Michizoe at her apartment, they headed back for school. On the way back, Ishimaru explained himself. He told Fukawa about the cafe, Michizoe, and why he needed the money and, although it didn’t look like it, he thinks Fukawa listened to every word he said. She never told him why she had been out that night why she had been late to class, but something told him that was a conversation for another time.

After that night, he wasn’t sure how Fukawa felt about him; if he had to guess, he’d say she hated him. But, even so, he would often see Fukawa, sitting in at a table all by herself in the corner of the Honey Bunny Maid Café. And sometimes, if Michizoe allowed it, he would sit with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Is Hope's Peak anywhere near Akihabara? Well it is now.
> 
> I started writing this a while ago and I'm about halfway done. I decided to start posting it now in order to increase my motivation to write it. Hopefully it works.
> 
> I hope you like it!


End file.
